PC(USA) statements
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) believes that sexual misconduct is never permissible or acceptable.
The documents listed below have been approved by the General Assembly and are intended to help guide the Church in its relationships with each other.
Standards of Ethical Conduct
(approved by the 210th General Assembly [1998])
... Church leaders across the denomination are asking for help amid the complexities and ambiguities of ministry in the contemporary world. While Scripture, The Book of Confessions, and the Book of Order provide guidance, it is sometimes unclear how to make the connections between their general guidance and the particular ethical dilemmas that confront persons in the conduct of life and ministry. The Standards of Ethical Conduct are intended as a bridge between these guiding resources and the specific issues that persons in ministry face on a day-to-day basis.
Sexual Misconduct Policy and Its Procedures
(adopted by the 219th General Assembly [2010], updated October 2013)
…It is the policy of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) … that all church members, church officers, nonmember employees, and volunteers of congregations, governing bodies, and entities of the church are to maintain the integrity of the ministerial, employment, and professional relationship at all times. Persons who engage in sexual misconduct are in violation of the principles set forth in Scripture, and also of the ministerial, pastoral, employment, and professional relationship. It is never permissible or acceptable for a church member, officer, employee, or volunteer to engage in sexual misconduct.
Resolution on Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse Against Educators (approved by the 216th General Assembly [2004])
This study examines the balance between allegations of child sexual abuse and due process for the accused.
Turn Mourning into Dancing! A Policy Statement on Healing Domestic Violence and Study Guide (approved by the 213th General Assembly [2001])
... This policy statement is the result of a development process that included wide consultation and participation throughout the church, drawing upon biblical sources and insights from the Reformed tradition in giving renewed definition to Presbyterian understandings concerning the root causes of domestic violence and the church’s complicity and response to the problem. The term “domestic violence” in this policy statement and its rationale is used as an inclusive term to broadly encompass the abuse found in child/child, parent/child, spouse/spouse, partner/partner, adult child/aging parent relationships, as well as violence that occurs in sibling and dating relationships.
